Stay With Me
by Kat-Singz
Summary: How I wish episode 109 would have went. What if Sakura had convinced Sasuke to stay? What would she have to say to change his mind? And, what if her confession of love had actually touched his heart? Not very original, but way better than it sounds.


**Hey, guys! I'm back, for a little while anyway. I've been in the hospital the last couple of days, I have spinal menagidous (no clue how to spell that), so I've been bored and I came up with this little one-shot. I actually think this one turned out pretty well, considering I suck at writing one-shots XD **

**Anyways, this is how I wish episode 109 would have turned out. There is one line that I took directly from the manga chapter, and it is in **_**italics**_** so you will know. I did not copy anything else. So, read on and review please!**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Masashi-san does. But, I do own 6 box sets and a Sakura plushy! ^.^**_

Sakura walked down the crowded street, her pink clothes and hair ruffled in the breeze. It was a Saturday; the sun was setting over the horizon, turning the sky beautiful shades of pink and orange, and the streets were filled with civilians and academy children trying to find something to do. Sakura, meanwhile, was thinking, and she noticed she seemed to be doing that more and more lately.

She was thinking about Sasuke.

Ever since Tsunade woke him up from the coma Itachi's attack had put him in, he hadn't been himself. The outcome of the last mission, where Naruto had pretty much saved all of them, hadn't helped much. It had made things worse. The fight with Naruto on the hospital roof had been plenty of proof. So had been the way he slapped the plate of apples she had been preparing for him out of her hand.

True, her raven-haired teammate slapping her hands away wasn't new, but he usually did so in a much more gentler manner.

She kicked at the loose stones on the pathway, trying to figure out what Sasuke could have possibly been thinking when he challenged Naruto. Surely he had known that she would try to interfere, right? Or maybe it was just some stupid grudge match to try to heal his severely wounded ego. She would never know, unless Sasuke told her himself, and she most definitely wasn't holding her breath on that piece of information reaching her ears.

She walked by the academy playground, where she caught a glimpse of Konohamaru and Moegi playing on the swings. She smiled at them while they continued to chatter away without a care in the world. Sigh, how she wished her world could be like that again. But sadly, she knew it never could be.

The pink haired girl bit her lip as she thought about the events of the last couple of months, from Sasuke receiving the curse mark, all the way up to Naruto returning to the village with Tsunade. Sakura still wasn't able to wrap her head around the fact that Naruto, Naruto of all people, had convinced the Sannin to return.

She walked by the bench, the bench where she almost had her first kiss with Sasuke. Well, Naruto disguised as Sasuke. Looking back at the memory, she laughed, a light carefree laugh, one she hadn't been able to do in months.

The sun had long since set over the peaceful village, and now that it was dark Sakura felt a little cold. Though there was only a slight breeze, the night seemed so much cooler than moments before. The tapping of shoes on the path brought her out of her thoughts. She thought it was Kakashi-sensei, ready with a lecture about being out late without any supervision, or even Naruto, on his way back to his apartment from an Ichiraku's trip with Iruka-sensei. What she didn't expect was to see Sasuke walking closer to her with his backpack firmly strapped to him.

She immediately thought the worst; that he was leaving. And she couldn't bring her self to push away the thought, because deep down she knew that's exactly what he was doing. Or trying to do. She was blocking his path, she was a distraction. Like she always was.

He stopped a few feet away from her, and stared at her with those dark eyes. "Sakura. You shouldn't be out here this late. Go home and sleep." He walked past her, and that's when she felt the tears. The warm, salty tears falling down her cheeks. She turned and watched him walk farther and farther out of her reach, her own heart aching with each step he took.

"Why? _Why don't you ever tell me anything_?"

He stopped. He kept his back to her, his mind processing what she asked. She was right. He never told her anything, he all but blocked her out completely. Naruto and Kakashi managed to break down his wall, they got through to him. But Sakura? She tried, but he never let her through.

"You don't need to know my business."

His words dug an invisible blade deep into her heart. All she ever wanted was for the young Uchiha to let her in, let her be close to his heart. It was one of her dreams; one she wished would come true.

"You always act like I'm the biggest pest in the world, Sasuke. Don't you remember, the day we first became genin, when you blew up at me? It was in this very spot."

Sasuke remembered, oh, he remembered it. Sasuke was disgruntled by that conversation, and he held it against Sakura, though she hadn't at the time known of his family's massacre.

"I don't."

Sakura knew he was lying. Sasuke never forgot anything, and that day was hard to forget. Almost impossible. She was silent for a moment, something Sasuke expected. His pink-haired teammate always got silent when she was surprised. It was one of the things he first learned about her.

"I don't blame you. It was a long time ago,"

She played along, something Sasuke didn't expect. Sakura usually called someone out when she knew they were lying. It was part of her analytical skill, and part of her personality too.

"But, you know, that day; that's when everything started. Me, you, Naruto, and Kakashi -Sensei."

"Sakura…you know about my clan. You know I can never be like you or Naruto."

Sakura took a step forward, clasping her hands over her heart. At that moment she realized anything else she said would have no effect. Sasuke had made his decision, and her pathetic attempts weren't going to sway it.

"Sasuke, please…"

She was past asking. She was pleading now, and she was willing to be a little mean; if it made any difference. "After everything Naruto and I sacrificed for you, you still won't stay?" It was low on her part and she knew that, and to Sasuke, it hit a very sensitive nerve. The first thing that flashed in his memory was Sakura slicing her hair and fighting the sound ninja in the chunin exams. She did it to protect him…and Naruto. Also when she jumped in front of him to block Gaara's attack, even though she could have gotten herself killed; and Naruto carelessly jumping in the fight with Haku during their mission in the Land of Waves. And so many other things the idiot had done to keep Sasuke and Sakura safe.

"It doesn't matter. I've made my decision. I'm an avenger, and the quickest way I can get power is by going to Orochimaru."

His façade was close to slipping, something that rarely happened. He had to act like none of that mattered to him; but, it really did. It gave him the strength he needed to push forward while he was training for the 3rd part of the chunin exam.

"But, Sasuke…" Her voice broke. It broke Sasuke's heart, though he would never admit it. "You told me once, that being lonely was nothing compared to being scolded by my parents. You were right. I know what it's like to be lonely now. Because…I…I'm so in love with you Sasuke! I can't stand it anymore! And if you left, I'd be lonelier than you can imagine."

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly, her words repeating over and over again in his mind. She was in love with him? He wouldn't believe it. They were only thirteen, but…he felt the same way. He didn't know how long, but he had been feeling different around her ever since they got out of the Forest of Death.

His resolve disappeared. What he had been planning before, meeting with the Sound Four and leaving, possibly harming Sakura to get out of the village, it was all gone. He turned around to face her, his eyes not prepared for what he saw. She looked like she was about to fall apart. She had her arms wrapped around her body, sobbing and had her head bowed so he couldn't see her face, which he was sure was red from crying.

"Sakura…." He was sure he sounded weak, and sad. Said girl looked up, her emerald eyes wide in shock…and fear. All was silent besides Sakura's sobs, which slowly dwindled down to hiccups. Sasuke stared at his teammate, silently nagging himself for putting her through this. Looking at her, broken and miserable, he saw that she was nothing like the Sakura he knew. He also saw that it was his fault.

His earlier decision to leave, it meant a little less than nothing at the moment. He could gain power another way, with the help of those he held dear. The Uchiha knew what he needed to do now, what he was supposed to do.

He crossed the short distance between them in a matter of seconds, his heart pounding in anticipation as to what he was about to do. Sakura froze in her spot, her arms dropping to her sides as she stared at the young Uchiha. Sasuke cupped her cheeks, and wiped away her tears with his thumbs. "I'm so, so sorry." And ever so gently, he pressed his lips to hers.

Sakura didn't react at first, which had Sasuke worried, but she slowly kissed him back, and brought her arms up to put around his neck. They broke apart when air became a necessity. Sasuke rested his forehead against hers, and gazed into her eyes, which were still wet with tears.

Sakura felt warm all over, her earlier fears slipping away to the back of her mind. Her first kiss. Her first kiss with Sasuke Uchiha. His dark eyes were filled with different emotions, some she had never seen before; content, longing, and…love. "I love you too, Sakura." Those few words sent her mind into overdrive, and brought on a whole new onslaught of tears. "Don't cry," Sasuke whispered, his mind going into a slight panic. She shouldn't be crying, right? She should be happy. She got what she wanted. "I can't help it…,"She replied, her voice still thick with tears. "I'm just so happy. Not even five minutes ago I thought I was going to lose you, and now you're telling me you love me. What changed?" A ghost of a smile appeared on Sasuke's lips before it was replaced by his trademark smirk.

"You told me you love me. And they say, love can change a person's mind quicker than anything." His lips met hers again, this time with a little more aggression, and held her tight to his chest. Her arms never left his neck, which made things a little bit easier due to the height difference. When they broke apart, Sasuke took her hand in his. His calloused hands held hers gently as he tugged her along the path, back towards the village; towards their friends and everything else that mattered.


End file.
